A representative group for leading businesses believes organisations should be focusing on building diverse workforces and that a strong business case for inclusivity has been made.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) argues that companies must take action and show leadership to make workplaces more inclusive.

Business leaders were singled out for the role they need to play in making inclusion and diversity a natural part of their organisation.

As part of this process the CBI recommended best practices including name-blind recruitment and diversity targets to ensure diversity became embedded within organisations.

CBI president Paul Drechsler urged organisations to understand the importance that drawing on a wide range of people would bring.

“Inclusive workplaces give firms the chance to get ahead of their competitors by making better decisions, through diverse teams which draw on a wider range of ideas and experiences. Companies that place inclusion at their heart are better able to secure the skills that their competitors miss out on and better able to keep the people their competitors lose,” he told the Engage for Success conference.

Drechsler highlighted that the business case for inclusive working practices had already been made.

“Inclusion isn’t a minority issue, it’s a majority issue that can benefit all people and all firms,” he continued.

“Ultimately, every employee can benefit from more flexible working and better decision-making. This is the real business case for inclusion and making progress means asking fundamental questions about how we work.

“Many business leaders are already leading from the front and there are many great stories of what’s already happening across the UK,” he added.

Leadership responsibility

Drechsler also made it clear that business leaders had a responsibility to drive the importance of inclusion and diversity within their organisation.

“Business leaders must make inclusion part of their employee relations strategy. Above all, it’s about accountability that starts at the top and stays at the top,” he continued.

“In business, what’s measured is managed and leaders should set stretching targets to embrace difference within their organisation. This isn’t about setting objectives, sending them to HR to sort out and forgetting about them until next year. It’s about setting a target which is right for that organisation and then leading the charge to achieve it.

“Ultimately, targets should be seen as something not driven by pressures from outside a business but by a real desire within a business to seize the benefits of inclusion for engagement and productivity,” he added.